The Scottish space sector

"The types of satellites that are built by Glasgow based companies such as Spire Global, AAC Clyde Space and Alba Orbital are designed for low-Earth orbit — only a few hundred kilometres up.

"Their close proximity to Earth and small size (conventional satellites tend be anything from the size of a washing machine up to any of the Lothian buses that roll up and down the Scottish capital city’s streets, but typical ‘CubeSats’ are smaller than a shoebox and sometimes not much larger than a can of Irn-Bru) make these satellites well-suited to using cameras to observe the Earth.

"In fact, whether it’s tracking the impact of climate change, monitoring shipping lanes or keeping a record of crop yields, CubeSats play a variety of roles in providing the satellite data used to inform other industries.

"The term 'data-driven economy' is often used in relation to the UK space sector, because accessing space data is not so much about the launches that make so many swoon with their fiery engines and incomprehensible power (known in the industry as "upstream activity"), but instead about the resulting data supply and analysis, usually referred to as the "downstream" aspect.

"Yes, some rockets lift off with astronauts, or exploratory rovers or supplies for the International Space Station (which you can also see flying past, by the way, on a rare clear night in most parts of the country), but the vast majority are taking satellite payloads to Low Earth Orbit to find solutions to everyday problems on Earth from a better vantage point above.

Launching small satellites from Scotland

"In Scotland, and a very limited number of UK regions such as Cornwall, geography has fortuitously ensured that our speciality will be the launch of small satellites on small launch vehicles from small launch pads to lucrative orbits that can access the whole of the Earth’s surface.

"To do that, instead of launching Eastwards like many large rockets do, smaller rockets are better suited heading North or South into Polar orbits. This makes Scotland an ideal location, because rockets can safely launch to the North.

"For the launch enthusiasts out there, there is no reason to be disappointed by this idea of "small launch". The rockets will still be impressive, despite all developing UK launchers being dwarfed by the 70m SpaceX Falcon 9 that recently launched US astronauts to the International Space Station.

"Ultimately, our small but perfectly formed Scottish space value chain will dictate that UK space tourism will be limited to people witnessing occasional satellite launches rather than actually travelling into the cosmos themselves. Although, Prestwick Spaceport might be an exception due to opportunities being explored as a consequence of the pursuit of a less-traditional 'air launch' approach. One where the launcher is carried aloft by an aircraft to a more advantageous position, before being released to make the rest of its journey up into space – essentially the launcher equivalent of being given a 'leg up'.

Harnessing space data

Earth observation

"The capital has seen a number of companies emerge, usually from University spinoffs, as global leaders in satellite data analysis. These analyses can be shared with a whole range of businesses to help inform their decisions and improve their services.

"One such company is Global Surface Intelligence opens in a new window (GSI), who capture images of the Earth from satellites and use them for a wide range of planet benefiting purposes. For example, some projects employ satellite imagery to gain an accurate idea of the size of forests and the types of trees growing within them. Traditionally, such work would be incredibly laborious and even dangerous, taking time and great effort. Even then, some forests around the globe are almost impossible to navigate and technologies such as drones are less efficient than observing from space. GSI has so far measured over 100 million hectares of natural resources across areas like forest and soil carbon resource availability and sustainable food supply chains.

"Scottish businesses are already benefiting from space in a number of innovative ways and new ideas come along all the time. Glasgow-based Trade in Space opens in a new window analyses space data to predict crop yields and provide financial insights, boosting the financial sector.

"Meanwhile, Aberdeen-based firm Planetary AI opens in a new window is looking at how space data can unlock a truly golden opportunity. The company aims to acquire data from space tech firms and use it to help them discover valuable mineral deposits that are currently underneath the earth.

"To take another example, the aquaculture sector —which contributes £1.8 billion to the Scottish economy each year— is looking to use space data to predict harmful algae blooms. Even whisky, the quintessential Scottish product, has been flown into space as far back as 2011, with Ardbeg aging samples of whisky opens in a new window on the International Space Station for three years as part of a maturation experiment. This was to see how flavour compounds in the spirit, known as 'terpenes', would react in microgravity compared to their more traditional warehouse storage.

"The type of data analysis work being done in Scotland is also occurring in other areas of the UK and beyond, with companies like 4 Earth Intelligence (4EI) in Bristol looking to space in order to identify where heat affects vulnerable populations, recently creating the UK’s first street level map of ‘at risk’ regions to help manage the effects of extreme weather conditions. This data is being made available free to national organisation that are currently battling the coronavirus pandemic.

"At the time of writing in the US, Maxar technologies is using earth observation to inform the clean-up process from the tragic oil spill in Mauritius.

"Just this month, the European Space Agency announced an initiative to use space imagery to support the insurance industry as it reimburses people affected by natural disasters.

Space spinoffs

How technology transfer is making our lives safer

"The benefits from the space sector are not limited to Earth observation — technology transfer and space-enabled services make lives safer here on the ground. For example, carbon composites from rocket nozzles and technology from solid rocket motors are used in high-performance braking systems and airbags, making our roads safer.

"Space tech has also been used to improve medical technology — technologies from x-ray astronomy can be used to detect skin cancer, insights from space robotics are being used to build cutting-edge exoskeletons for paraplegics, and systems used to monitor astronauts onboard the space station have helped in developing remote healthcare for the elderly here on Earth.

"The effects of space travel also allow researchers to learn more about the human body. Free from the constant force of gravity, space travel causes astronauts to rapidly lose bone density on orbit, a process which improves our understanding of diseases like osteoporosis — one of the world's most common bone diseases; affecting roughly 200 million people globally and nearly a quarter of a million people in Scotland alone.

"GPS underpins wide sections of the economy, ranging from precision agriculture to construction and logistics. As if that weren’t enough, communications networks, financial systems, and power grids rely on the precise time synchronisation offered by GPS.

"Next time you step into an Uber, it’s worth remembering that the space sector is working behind the scenes every day to enable life as we know it in Scotland and beyond.

Space for everyone

A high-tech catalyst for growth across all industries

"The space industry can’t grow without space regulation and the Scottish and wider UK government’s growing support of the space sector is welcomed. More and more it is becoming clear that space isn’t so much an industry on its own, but a high-tech catalyst for growth across all industries.

"Long may our local businesses be part of the supply chain for the emerging commercial New Space movement, and long may the rest of Scotland, and far beyond, benefit from it.